Savoyard with a Marmot

Everything here is archaic: the peasant type posing awkwardly in the centre has its origins in 17th-century engravings; the landscape seems completely separate, like a theatrical backdrop. But in Watteau's hands these vestiges of the past became a retrospective view that is not only touching but also intelligent. Even the timidity evident in the molding of the figure works to the benefit of the stylisation.